FORMATION AND DISSOLUTION: THE MAKING OF OSMIUM GATE's "CANNIBAL GALAXY" ALBUM COVER.

Instrumental Metal duo, Osmium Gate, will release its debut album, "Cannibal Galaxy" on March 13, 2026. The lysergic cover artwork was designed by guitarist/bassist, Drew Ehrgott, who also produced and mixed the record. In the following interview, he talks about the creation of this cosmic vision.

This album cover portrays a very peculiar graphic. What is this image depicting?

Drew Ehrgott: The cover art for "Cannibal Galaxy" draws visual inspiration from elemental forces and cosmic phenomena, particularly the vast, shifting presence of nebulae. It is meant to feel less like a literal image and more like an environment, something forming and dissolving at the same time. The artwork reflects the album’s core idea of consumption and transformation, where matter, energy, and scale lose clear boundaries. Like the music, it exists in a space where beauty and destruction are inseparable, and where forces far larger than humanity quietly shape everything beneath them.

What techniques/mediums were used to create this artwork?

Drew Ehrgott: The artwork was created using a layered photographic and digital process that incorporates organic textures and abstract forms. While the final image is digital, it was approached with an emphasis on erosion, movement, and density, rather than clean precision. The piece evolved gradually, much like the compositions themselves, allowing forms to emerge through repetition and distortion. The result is intentionally ambiguous, inviting the viewer to interpret it as elemental, cosmic, or somewhere in between.

The band's logo seems to have symbolic overtones. Who designed it?

Drew Ehrgott: I designed the Osmium Gate logo. It was designed as a typographic system rather than a decorative mark. It began as a hand-lettered composition rooted in blackletter traditions, chosen for their inherent weight, darkness, and historical gravity. The structure was carefully planned, with the A in “Gate” intentionally functioning as a portal, reinforcing themes of passage, threshold and transition.

From this rigid framework, tendrils and energetic extensions were introduced to create a sense of controlled chaos. These elements suggest motion, expansion, and energy while remaining anchored to the underlying letterforms. Once the balance between structure and instability was resolved, the logo was digitized and refined to preserve its legibility and intentional tension. The final mark reflects a deliberate interplay between order and disruption, mirroring the band’s sonic approach.

The album is available for pre-order at https://osmiumgate.bandcamp.com

Follow Osmium Gate at https://www.facebook.com/osmiumgate

COSMIC ENCOUNTER: INTERVIEW ABOUT THE SLEEVE ARTWORK FOR CRYPTIC SHIFT's "OVERSPACE & SUPERTIME."

Progressive Death Metal act, Cryptic Shift, is releasing a new album titled "Overspace & Supertime." The Sci-Fi-inspired sleeve illustration was crafted by Canadian artist, Jesse Jacobi. In the following interview, guitarist/vocalist Xander Bradley talks about the creation of this panoramic piece.

What inspired the cover concept and what is this artwork portraying?

Xander Bradley: It’s our character, The Recaller, approaching a mysterious entity amidst the backdrop of gas giant cloudscapes. She’s spent the whole second song tracking this alien sorceress down and the cover art portrays the very moment they meet. The sorceress is a super powerful being, and she initiates a psychic conversation as the recaller approaches, kind of like Galadriel does to Frodo in Lothlórien! Then they have a physical spoken conversation, which you hear in the fifth movement of Stratocumulus Evergaol. This alien lives on this floating barge-like platform along with her followers as they are harvesting blood and offal from the insides of a dead ancient deity that lies in the clouds. You can see the pipes and wires on the back and on the right that lead into the things insides. The alien uses this material for rituals like Haruspexation. Over on the left you can see the craft that the recaller takes for the next song Hyperspace Topography. And in the top left you will see a snippet of the space battle that rages in orbit of the planet. A fascination with gas giants has been present from the conception of the whole sci-fi story that our music follows, and obviously Enceladus is one of Saturn’s moons. The fascinating elements are the sheer forces that exist in the atmospheres, the storm formations, colors of the clouds, speed of the winds. They will be incredibly fascinating for many hundreds of years of human research for sure. They're always an incredible visual in movies too like cloud city in "The Empire Strikes Back" or those meditative shots in "Ad Astra." 

The complete sleeve illustration for "Overspace &Supertime"

Why did you choose a panoramic album artwork instead of a square one? 

Xander Bradley: It seemed natural to have a widescreen presentation. I’ve always loved it when picking up a record with great art that continues as you turn the vinyl over. You’ll notice that the structure of the cover is the same as our last album "Visitations From Enceladus." Both portray a character approaching a tall structure. The symmetry was designed this way because both characters are on similar paths and both albums take place at the same time more or less. Having that as the front focus and then the reverse to explore the amazing environment, they’re in. In both instances we also have no logo on the front. We really want to showcase the artist and have the structure and composition as the recognizable element for Cryptic Shift. However, I can tell you that my idea for the third album cover will be just a front cover square! 

                              Sleeve artwork for Cryptic Shift's album "Visitations From Enceladus."

How did Jesse Jacobi become involved in the project?

Xander Bradley: I’ve had his style attached to my idea of this album for so long. When we started working on the music it was always my thought, and as a band we would scroll through his work and imagine if he worked with us. And with Metal Blade as a partner, it was possible to make it a reality! We reached out and he was up for it. Jesse usually works in dark blues and often paints caves with dripping streams and even features character designs of his own. When I pitched the concept, one of the main focuses was that it would be in an open space, not a cavern, and it would be primarily orange, not blue. I felt this would challenge and excite him for the project! It’s basically the same approach I take with my bandmates for the songwriting and their performances. The idea of seeing someone's talents and pushing it into an unfamiliar territory that you can foresee them capable of overcoming is really rewarding. 

Tell us about the techniques/mediums used to create this artwork.

 

Xander Bradley: I believe it’s an oil painting on a canvas that’s basically the same size as the vinyl gatefold; I’m sure Jesse would talk about greater details in any interviews he does. So, to begin with he sketched out a guideline digitally for the layout to get in any particular elements that were needed. Then he created a base coat of just orange. He then went about all the details and was plain sailing really.

When it came to the character design the recaller was badass and perfect, the circular retro helmet and all the crazy armor and backpack that he put in was so cool. The Alien Sorceress took a couple attempts to nail a look for the head. My imagination always went to a tall, robed figure like Moebius’s desert characters, but the exact face was never locked. I used some early 2021/2022 gen-AI softwares for my own brainstorming that were really helpful. All the other details were of Jesse’s imagination; the platform design is really cool and even the statues which are very his style worked out. In a previous track ‘The Arctic Chasm’ we visit an ancient council chamber with bathykolpian and calliphygian statues which coincidentally made total sense with the shared architecture. And we actually return there in the title track here because the alien sorceress is part of that ancient bloodline.

The escape pod design was awesome too how it’s almost a merge of fossilization and technology. Then the background clouds are beautiful. I got really into researching cloud formations like mammatus and bizarre anvils that storm chasers have photographed. Elements of nature like that are one of my great interests like volcanoes too! All of Jesses process actually inspired me during the lyrics of the title track. The Recaller and The Alien Sorceress have teamed up in that song and must speak with this ancient being in his own abode in another dimension! But to get there they have to go through a particular portal which has to be physically ‘painted’ to access the neighboring dimension. So, I used a bunch of painting terminology within the lyrics for the third verse. Check it out!!

Can you provide any information about the origins of the band's logo?

Xander Bradley: Originally designed by Nemesis Design who did some of our older covers after we wanted a new logo. We then thought about upgrading it and adding extra details like spikes and circuitry like Voivod change up their logos every album. Nemesis did some really cool stuff, but the vibe was too deathcore and was off. We then went to Ciaran Notion to spruce it up, who we’ve worked with a lot since then. What we have now I’m really happy with, it’s like an obscure alien computer chip. 

"Overspace & Supertime" will be released on February 27, through Metal Blade Records. Pre-orders available at metalblade.com/crypticshift

IMMOLATION's "DESCENT" ALBUM COVER STORY

Acclaimed Death Metal marauders, Immolation, just announced their new album, "Descent." The sleeve artwork was designed by Israeli illustrator, Eliran Kantor, who also created the covers of the American group's recent records.

"The concept of having a lone fallen angel caught between ethereal light from above and scorching heat from below came from the band," Kantor comments. "I contributed the idea of the angel grabbing its wings looking down in terror in order to portray a futile survival instinct, with the lower parts of the body resembling crumbling charred white coal. Thank you, Summer BBQ, for the inspiration."

The complete mixed-media illustration has a vertical format and offers a broader view of the heavenly/hellish setting. See it below.

Immolation's "Descent" will be available on April 10 through Nuclear Blast. Pre-order at https://immolation.bfan.link/descent

See more of Eliran Kantor's work at https://elirankantor.com/

MONSTROSITY's "SCREAMS FROM BENEATH THE SURFACE" ALBUM COVER STORY

American Death Metal veterans, Monstrosity, announced the upcoming release of a new album titled, "Screams From Beneath The Surface." The cover artwork was illustrated by Timbul Cahyono of bvllmetalart, who created the cover for the band's previous record.

"The cover concept came from [drummer] Lee Harrison. The main idea is some kind of demonic face, really evil looking, screaming beneath the surface," Cahyono says. "For the color wise he [Harrison] asked me to paint just kind of bleak and dystopian looking, since the last album was pretty colorful. Ultimately, he gave me freedom to do my thing. Overall, I wanted to make an image that will staring back at the viewers. Also, if you zoom in, you can see some sea creatures crawling around that face since this thing is under water."

The artist painted this illustration "in a traditional way, with acrylic on paper. I used thin layers of color technique. The original size is 18 x 18 inches. I also painted some images for merchandise based on this album."

The album can be pre-ordered at https://www.metalblade.com/monstrosity/

See more of Timbul Cahyono's work at https://works.bvllart.com

VISIONS OF EXTINCTION: INTERVIEW WITH DAVID BRENNER ABOUT GRIDFAILURE's ALBUM COVERS

More than a conventional band, Gridfailure is the conduit to a quite unique aural/visual universe. This highly experimental, New York-based project was born from the mind of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist, David Brenner, who fearlessly blends elements from various genres, including Black Metal, Industrial, Post-Rock, contemporary Classical music, Jazz, Folk and more. The recently-released Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery III is the third chapter of a multi-album saga that might be destined to become Gridfailure's magnun opus. In the following interview, Brenner (who creates most of the project's visual imagery) offers detailed information about the records' concept and accompanying graphics—including the intriguing cover artworks.

Tell us about the concept and themes that form the Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery saga?

David Brenner: Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery is a concept I’m exploring through a five-album series. The first three albums – Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery I, II, and III – are set in modern times and the immediate future, as we’ve already entered the Anthropocene and we’re watching the planet react to humanity with urgent wrath as society consumes itself. These three albums will be followed by the final two albums in the arc: Teeth Collection and Drought Stick. These two massive albums will be set in the post-apocalyptic landscape once we’ve completely depleted the planet of its resources and it’s basically a barren and harsh worldwide Nuclear Winter ravaged by natural disasters.

As resources are depleted, so are morals, and as monolithic storms ravage the planet, neighbors turn on one another, and once war and uprising decimate the population, survivors are left to slaughter for survival in a diseased and polluted wasteland aftermath. Sources of uncontaminated energy, food, and water are scarce across the grim sphere, and the species’ reliance on technology has left most humans helpless. Themes of cannibalism, revenge, marauding factions, societal collapse, organ harvesting, nuclear warfare, pandemic contagion, dystopian rule, the mass-enslavement of populations, prevalent addiction to homicide, and general underhandedness towards one’s neighbors amidst ever-worsening extreme weather disasters, with humanity losing the war we’ve waged on our own planet poetically permeate this album series.

You have designed all of the albums' graphics. That makes sense, because you are Gridfailure's creator and main driving force. 

David Brenner: Gridfailure is my own solo project, although I collaborate with many friends, allies, cohorts, and family members within the project. I have been responsible for at least 95% of the artwork, design, videos, and other visuals for the band over the past decade of its existence. Only a couple of collaborations, the compilations on which I’ve had material included, and a few other random pieces have had art/design work by other folks. However, usually I create my cover art pieces through photo manipulation, layering photos and design elements. 

The cover artworks for Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery I, II and III are (visually and conceptually) fairly similar.  

David Brenner: To create the artwork for the first three albums in this ongoing series, I drew towers of human skulls erected in a sort of effigy or art installations and manipulated with tools, spears, and other objects. The idea was to represent killing as art; humanity proudly consuming itself.

Can you offer more details about the creative process and the mediums/techniques you used to craft the artworks?

David Brenner: This series is the first time I’ve created the covers with hand-drawn art...I sketched everything in pencil on white drawing board, then finalized everything through stippling/pointillism millions of dots with technical pens and black ink. I then scanned these several pieces into Photoshop and manipulated them into the three different album covers for Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery I, II, and III, with both digital and cassette versions of the artwork. 

You also created imagery for the promotional videos, band merch, etc. This is a very complete visual/aural universe. 

David Brenner: All three albums were issued on cassette through Nefarious Industries, and I manipulated the artwork together once again to create a box set slipcase shell for the three cassettes, as well as a separate design for the t-shirt, and another for the overall album series page. The separate pieces are all combined several ways throughout the series. I also loaded the cover artwork pieces into projectors for some of the promo photos and animated some of the art within the five videos for the newest installment, Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery III, which was released in October. I wanted to see the artwork infused into all the visual aspects of the album series to help make the concept feel all encompassing, beyond just in the lyrics. I wanted everything to actually look like a series.

I have a few new pieces under construction for the Teeth Collection and Drought Stick albums as well, although they will be in a different style, different from these first three albums. I’ll be working on completing both of these albums over the course of 2026, which is Gridfailure’s tenth year in existence.

All three of the current Sixth Mass-Extinction Skulduggery albums, the shirt, limited cassette box set, the videos for the three albums, digital streaming links and more can be found at Nefarious Industries at  https://www.nefariousindustries.com/collections/gridfailure-sixth-mass-extinction-skuldugger 

Discover Gridfailure's complete discography at https://gridfailure.bandcamp.com/

INTERVIEW ABOUT THE MAKING OF THE COVER ARTWORK FOR EXHUMED's NEW ALBUM "RED ASPHALT"

American extreme metallers, Exhumed, will be releasing their new album "Red Asphalt" on February 20th through Relapse Records. The cover's image was composed and captured on camera by the band's longtime bassist, Ross Sewage. In the following interview, he provides information about the creative process and shares behind-the-scenes images of the making of this gory graphic. 

This artwork perfectly conveys the album's suggestive title and announces an intense aural experience. What inspired the cover concept?

Ross Sewage: Exhumed was on tour discussing what kind of theme might be fun to work around for a new record. I was looking around and thought, hey, we tour a lot. We're on the road a lot. The road is a dangerous place and it's full of stories we could tell. Why not make a road album? [Vocalist/guitarist] Matt Harvey chimed in, talking about all the campy old road safety films meant to scare kids with gruesome footage of accidents that we'd watched as kids with morbid fascination. So, that became our album concept and it was a natural idea to depict a gore-filled auto wreck for the album cover. 

We'd been speaking for years about going back to doing some horrific photo-based artwork like our first and second records. I was delighted to dust off my old camera and throw some guts around. Matt drew me up an image of a long road reaching to the horizon, littered with car parts and bodies. My own pragmatism whittled down that idea a little. Once I'd found a place that made accurate historical license plates and I'd scouted locations, I knew exactly how the cover would look to depict a gruesome wreck with the driver tossed out and disemboweled. 

How did you become in charge of creating the cover artwork? 

Ross Sewage: We've worked with a lot of amazing cover artists through the years, but when it comes to depicting photo realistic gore, the band agreed that I'd be the best bet to deliver the goods to ourselves. I'd been doing special effects make-up and taking pictures of guts for Exhumed covers since the middle 1990s and up to the first album. After that, I did all the photography for the horror-ridden covers of the other band I play in, Impaled. Stretching beyond the realm of bloodied scenes of violence, I'd also done cover photos for a black metal band I used to play in called Ludicra. The photos for Ludicra were of a more surreal nature and heavily influenced by the work of the art design group known as Hipgnosis, but it still employed the same old use of lighting and visual design to draw in a viewer through a record cover. Most importantly, I'm the only member of the band with a real camera! 

This artwork is photography-based. Apart from the logo and the album's title, all the elements/props shown on this image were captured on camera. Can you comment about it? What inspired you to use photography? 

Ross Sewage: The cover for Exhumed's "Red Asphalt" is just a one-take photo. To create the scene, I scouted a section of road that was partially closed near the old naval base in Alameda, CA. I liked it because it would have a clear view of the sky. I waited till dusk to capture the image so that it could be lit how I wanted, using some portable battery powered lights, and to get the fiery sky as the sun set. 

The severed hand was a gift from Canadian special effects artist Kyle Huculak. The license plate was ordered online. All the car parts were pieces were from actual auto wrecks that had been left behind in on the side of the road in Oakland, CA. The body is nothing more than a wig and a flannel I stuffed to give shape to. The real technique is in the entrails. Those were procured from an Asian grocery store. I cut away the Omentum and fill the intestine with water, tying off the ends so they don't leak. This is an old trick that George Romero used a lot in his zombie films that give the organs more life and presence. Spill on some fake (and some real) blood, and there you have your gore-soaked photo to piss off the censors. 

Any comments about the post-production process and the look of the official cover?

Ross Sewage: After I had the RAW image, processing and a little touching up was done in Photoshop. From there I handed it over to Jacob Speis at Relapse Records, who was designing the album packaging. He did more touching up in Photoshop to add some vintage grit and adjusted the colors so it would complement the overall layout of the entire album. We didn't want to process it so far, however, that it looked fake. The realism is part of the horror. In this day and age, when you can barely trust your eyes thanks to A.I. garbage slop being forced down our throats, we wanted to deliver the real deal because that's what Exhumed fans deserve. 

"Red Asphalt" can be pre-ordered at https://www.relapse.com/pages/exhumed-red-asphalt 

See more of Ross Sewage's work at https://www.doktorsewage.com/

PILE OF KNIVES' "DRIVEN BY THE BLADE" EP COVER STORY

American Death Metal/Slam act, Pile Of Knives, recently released its second EP "Driven By The Blade" which features a cover artwork created by Giancarlo Bruno. The following interview with vocalist, Bryan Martinez, reveals how the artwork was put together.

What inspired the cover concept and what this artwork is depicting?

Bryan Martinez: It all came together quite easy, It just randomly popped up in my head. I wanted our album cover to be brutal, but yet still beautiful to look at. A lot of the lyrics have to do with human beings not seeming as what they may appear. The unknown and unpredictability is what we fear the most, and I feel like this cover represents that well. It is both intense with the cutting instruments, but yet easy on the eyes with the soft background. It's hard to tell if you can trust it or not. Which is on theme with our record, "Driven By The Blade," lyrically and sound-wise. The three knives represent each of the tracks on the record that have vocals, and we have one instrumental on the album that is represented by the soft red velvet background.

How did the band get involved with cover artist, Giancarlo Bruno?

Bryan Martinez: The first thing I knew is that I wanted it to be a photo instead of having someone draw something out. I've known Giancarlo for years going back to high school. He is not only a close friend, but someone that is extremely talented when it comes to photography and filming. So he is the first person that I've thought of for this project. I've always admired his work and knew he could pull off what I had envisioned. He never did something like this before, but like I said I knew he could pull it off, and he sure did.

Do you remember the process of creating the cover photo/artwork?

Bryan Martinez: I bought the knives online and Giancarlo and I went to an arts and crafts store for the backgrounds. He took the pictures in the basement of my house, and he captured it all so easily. He had a couple lights, and he took a picture of each knife with a different color background because we wanted to release these songs one by one as singles. He then finally took the last photo which is the actual E.P. cover with all the knives and it all took him about an hour to complete. It was an easy and smooth process, and it was so amazing to see it brought to life.

Find more information about the EP's release at https://pileofknives.bandcamp.com/album/driven-by-the-blade

ILDARUNI's "DIVINUM SANGUINEM" ALBUM COVER STORY

Armenian Black Metal band, Ildaruni, recently released its second full-length, "Divinum Sanguinem." The album's cryptic cover artwork was created by Khaos Diktator Design. Guitarist and main composer, Robert Meliksetyan, reveals crucial details about this image.

What is this artwork is depicting and how it reflects the album's music and lyrics?

Robert Meliksetyan: For this album, we chose to continue the path of a conceptual release. Conceptually and musically, this album explores darker, more esoteric territories, delving into the occult aspects of Mithraic mysteries, ancient initiations, and rituals that spanned from Europe to Asia. The cover artwork captures one of the central scenes of these mysteries: the tauroctony, in which Mithras slays the bull. This act represents the cosmological sacrifice, with the bull’s blood flowing over the hierophants, who conduct the initiation rites. Through this imagery, we convey themes of transformation, spiritual ascension, apothantismos, and the profound symbolism inherent in these rituals.

Inspiration for the album’s lyrical and conceptual depth also draws from the Papyri Graecae Magicae, revealing the transformative power of the ancient occult. Every detail of the artwork is aligned with the album’s lyrical essence. The cover is not just an illustration—it is a gateway into the album’s arcane world, drawing listeners into the shadowed halls of mysteries and transformative forces.

How did the band get involved with Khaos Diktator Design for the creation of this artwork?

Robert Meliksetyan: I have long admired Khaos Diktator’s work and have followed his creations closely. I was particularly captivated by his pieces for Endezzma, Nordjevel, and Coscradh, which I consider among the most striking and powerful artworks of recent years. When I reached out to share the conceptual vision of our album and how we imagined its visual portrayal, I found that he fully connected with the theme, and he had a clear understanding and enthusiasm for the project. The subsequent communication and collaboration went seamlessly, as we both shared a clear vision of what we wanted to achieve visually.

Do you know what techniques/mediums the artist used to create the artwork?

Robert Meliksetyan: Honestly, I am not familiar with the specific techniques Khaos Diktator used in creating our artwork, but he could fully grasp and capture the conceptual vision we had for the album. From the initial sketches, it was clear that he had delved deeply into the central topic; he could depict the mystical and esoteric aspects of the theme. It is a glorious manifestation of the album’s visual essence.

"Divinum Sanguinem" is available through Black Lion Records. Order at https://ildaruniblacklion.bandcamp.com/.../divinum-sanguinem

See more of Khaos Diktator Design's work at https://www.facebook.com/KhaosDiktatorDesign